~ a year of celebrations

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away! Who doesn’t love Sesame Street? It’s got something for everyone. Humans, puppets, singing, dancing, celebrities…it’s amazing. I was trying to think of a fun way to celebrate today’s holiday…but then I got seriously derailed. I was reading up about Sesame Street, its origins and all the heavy topics they have covered. I was very intrigued by the episode where they have to explain death to Big Bird. The actor who played Mr. Hooper died suddenly of a heart attack (not on the show, obviously…) and the adults then had the task of explaining to Big Bird that he was never coming back. After some extensive scouring of the internet, I finally found the clip. It is a link, not embedded so you have to click it and go to the site:

I was extremely touched by the honesty in this episode. The actors are showing real emotions and they are explaining death in a way that is not flowery and not leaving room for confusion. I’m not going to lie, explaining things like death to my child is something I am not looking forward to. I take solace knowing that I can pull this clip up, if needed, when that time comes to aid in our discussion. The sad thing about this is that I don’t think this sort of brutal honesty would fly in today’s world. It’s ironic because we are surrounding our children with death and destruction every day in video games, tv, even in the news. But when the time comes to tell them about it for real, people are glazing over it and not really getting to the heart of the matter. I think if someone died on Sesame Street today, they would be faced with major criticism if they just told everyone that he/she died or was dead. Although these words are much harsher than saying things like passed away or went to a better place, it is important to show finality. Rich told me about this a few years ago when he started in the firefighting business. He said that they have to say dead and not sugarcoat it because that gives people hope. It’s sad, but so very true. So, now that I have taken this happy holiday to a much more somber place, I want to bring everyone back up. Sesame Street is real life, whether it is happy or sad. I love the show even more after reading about it today. To end on a brighter note, here I am with my fav SS shirt and a few of the many Sesame Street items we have lying around the house:

On the street since ’69! You got that right. Happy 42nd Birthday, Sesame Street!

Total Cost to Celebrate: $0

Clip of the Day:

N’SYNC on Sesame Street. I had to pick this one, I actually saw it the other day on Sesame Street. They play their clips f-o-r-e-v-e-r….I swear they have stuff from 1970 that still gets airplay:

P.S. – Dear JT, I have NO clue how you were a heart-throb with that ugly hat…..bad choice.